Keybase
Crypto for everyone
File:Chris Coyne (chris) Keybase.png
A screenshot of a Keybase user page.
Type of site
Encrypted social networking service
Available inEnglish
OwnerKeybase, Inc
Created byChris Coyne, Max Krohn, others
URLkeybase.io
RegistrationRequired for membership
Users178,812
LaunchedFebruary 14, 2014; 10 years ago (2014-02-14)
Current statusOpen alpha
Written inGo[citation needed]

Keybase is a site which "maps [a user's] identity to [thier] public keys, and vice versa." Currently, Keybase allows a user to prove Twitter, GitHub, Facebook, Reddit, and Hacker News identities, along with Bitcoin and Zcash wallet addresses.[1][2][citation needed] Keybase supported Coinbase identities but ceased to do so 17 March 2017 when Coinbase terminated public payment pages.[3] Keybase also offers an encrypted chat and cloud storage system,[2][4] called the Keybase filesystem. Files placed in the public portion of the filesystem are served from keybase.pub,[4] as well as locally from a filesystem mounted by the Keybase client.[5]

Client edit

In addition to the web interface, Keybase offers a client application for Windows,[6][7] OSx,[6][7] Android,[8][7] iOS,[7] and most desktop Linux distributions,[7] written in Go with an Electron front end. The client offers additional features to the website, such as the ability to add files to the Keybase filesystem and access private files in the system. Each device running the client is authorized by a signature made either by another device or the user's PGP key. Each device is also given a per-device NaCl key to perform cryptographic operations.

Keybase Filesystem (KBFS) edit

Keybase allows users to store up to 10 GB of files in a cloud storage called the Keybase filesystem. The filesystem is divided into three parts: public files, private files, and team files. On Unix-like machines, the filesystem is mounted to /keybase, and on Microsoft Windows systems it is usually mounted to the K drive. Currently, mobile versions of the Keybase client do not have any user interface for interacting with the filesystem. However, they do support operations such as rekeying files as necessary.

Public Files edit

Public files are stored in /public/username, and are publicly visible. All files in the public filesystem are automatically signed by the client. Only the user who the folder is named after can edit its contents, however, a folder may be named after a list of comma-separated users (e.g. a folder /public/foo,bar,three would be editable by the users foo, bar, and three.)

Public files can be accessed by any user. Single user folders are displayed at keybase.pub and are also accessible by opening the directory in the mounted version of the filesystem. Multi user folders (such as /public/foo,bar,three) are only accessible through the mounted version of the system.

Private Files edit

Private files are stored in /private/username, and are only visible to username. Private files, like public files, can be named after more than one user (e.g. a folder /public/foo,bar,three would be readable and editable by the users foo, bar, and three.) Unlike public files, all private files are both encrypted and signed before being uploaded, making them end-to-end encrypted.

Teams edit

On 2017-09-18, Keybase launched a "teams" feature.[9] Teams are described as "...a named group of people."[10] Each team has a private folder in the Keybase filesystem, and a number of chat channels (similar to Slack.) Teams can also be divided into "subteams" by placing a . in the team name. For example, wikipedia.projects would be a subteam of wikipedia, while wikipedia.projects.foobar would be a subteam of wikipedia.projects (and therefore, also of wikipedia.)

Team Administration edit

Teams are largely administrated by adding signatures to a chain. Each signature can add, remove, or change the membership of a a user in a team, as well as when changes are made to subteams.

Each chain starts with a signature made by the team owner, with subsequent actions signed on by team admins.

References edit

  1. ^ Fleishman, Glenn. "Keybase Wants To Make Serious Encryption Accessible To Mere Mortals". Fast Company. Fast Company. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
  2. ^ a b Dalton, Andrew (2017-09-02). "Keybase's encrypted chat works with accounts you already have". Engadget. Retrieved 2017-06-05.
  3. ^ "Abrupt Termination of Coinbase Support". The Keybase Blog. Keybase, Inc. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
  4. ^ a b Russell, Jon (2016-05-02). "Keybase Introduces End-To-End Encrypted File Sharing Service". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2017-05-06.
  5. ^ "Introducing the Keybase filesystem". Keybase. Retrieved 2017-05-06.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. ^ a b Fleishman, Glenn (Feb 15, 2017). "Keybase offers encrypted chat where you control all the pieces". Macworld. Retrieved June 8, 2017.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  7. ^ a b c d e Dunn, John E (May 31, 2017). "Keybase adds end-to-end encryption to messages on the web". Naked Security. Retrieved June 8, 2017.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  8. ^ Hoff, John (May 12, 2017). "Keybase encrypted chat now available on Android". androidcommunity.com. Retrieved June 8, 2017.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  9. ^ Hackett, Robert (18 September 2017). "First They Made OkCupid and SparkNotes. Now They're Taking on Slack". Fortune Tech. Retrieved 21 September 2017.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  10. ^ "Teams for Keybase". Keybase. Retrieved September 21, 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)